Combination player and piano bench.



V G. E. PREDOGK. COMBINATION PLAYER; AND PIANO BENCH.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1912 Patented Jan. 7, 1913.

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COMBINATION PLAYER AND PIANO BENCH. APPLICATION FILED JAN. 22, 1912.

Patented Jan. 7, 1913.

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GEORGE E. PREDOCK, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO UDELL-PREDOCK MANU- FACTURING COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION Specification of Letters Patent.

OF MISSOURI.

COMBINATION PLAYER AND PIANO BENCH.

Patented Jan. 7, 1913.

Application filed January 22, 1912. Serial N 0. 672,642.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, GEORGE E. PBEDOCK, a citizen of the United States, St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Combination Player and Piano Benches, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled 1n the art to which it and use the same.

This invention relates to piano benches.

One object of the invention is to provide a combination piano bench and player piano bench that presents a neat and ornamental appearance and which comprises means for locking the player piano seat to the piano seat of the bench, thus overcoming the necessity of holding the two seats together when music is being removed from or placed in the music compartment of the bench.

Another object is to provide a combination player and piano bench in which the under seat or piano seat is of the same width as the player seat and is designed in such a manner that no corners are formed in which vdust and dirt can collect. And still another object is to provide a combined player and piano bench that comprises means of novel construction for hinging the two seats together and for bracing the player seat when it is arranged in a substantially vertical position so as to form a back for the piano seat.

appertains to make Other objects and desirable features of my invention will be hereinafter pointed out.

Figure 1 of the drawings is a perspective view of a combination player and piano accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the player seat arranged in vertical position so as to form a back for the piano seat; Fig. 3 is a perspective view illustrating both seats of the bench raised so as to obtain access to the music compartment; Figs. 4, 5 and 6 are end views of Figs. 1, 2 and 3, re spectively; Fig. 7 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on approximatelythe line 7'7 of Fig. l illustrating the construction of the means that is used for detachably connecting the two seats together; Fig. 8 is a detail view taken at approximately right angles to Fig. 7; Fig. 9 1s an enlarged view taken on approxi mately the line 99 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 10.,

vertical sectional residing at is a transverse sectional view taken through the seats of the bench illustrating one of the brackets to which the player seat is connected.

Referring to the drawings which illustrate the preferred form of my invention, A designates the music compartment of the bench which is preferably made wide enough to receive rolls of music 00 such as are used in player pianos; B designates the piano seat or under seat of the bench which forms acover for the music compartment, and C designates the player piano seat which is arranged above the piano seat B so as to form a comparatively high bench such as it is preferable to use when operating a player piano, the player seat 0 being mounted in such a manner that it can be moved into an approximately vertical position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5, so as to form a back for the piano seat B when the bench is being used by a person playing a piano. The piano seat B extends the entire length of the bench and isapproximately the same width and length as'the player seat C, thus producing a bench that can be kept clean easily because no side pieces are used at the ends of the piano seat. In other words, the ,top face of the piano seat is smooth and free from corners in which dust and dirt can collect and consequently the dust can be removed from said seat easily by simply rubbing a cloth over same.

The piano seat B' is connected to the music compartment of the bench preferably by means of hinges 1 that are fastened to the under side of the piano seatB and to the upper edge of the rear wall of the music compartment A, as shown in Fig. 3. The player seat. O is hinged at its rear edge to the piano seat B, and means is provided for detachably connecting said seats to-' gether so as to overcome the necessity of manually holding the player seat C to prevent it from dropping rearwardly when the piano seat Bis raised toobtain access to the music compartment, as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. In the preferredform of my'invention, as herein shown, a pair of brackets 2 are secured to the top face of-the piano seat B adjacent the rear edge of same, and members 8, which are connected to the under side of the player seat C, are pivotally connected to the upper ends of the brackets 2 by means of pintles 4. The members 3 are seat. The rear edges'of preferably formed from pressed metal and are substantially U-shaped in cross section, and at the rear ends of said members 3 the horizontal webs of same are cut away so that the upper ends of the brackets 2 will lie between the side legs or flanges of the members 3, thus producing a strong hinge connection between the two seats B and G and overcoming any tendency of the player seat to move longitudinally relatively to the piano seat. The members 3 preferably extend approximately the entire width of the player seat C so as to reinforce and strengthen same, and devices are fastened to the front ends of the members 3 so as to ccoperate with devices on the piano seat for 'detachably connecting said two seats together. Various kinds of devices can be used for locking the player seat to the piano seat but I prefer to provide the player seat with depending arms 5 having substantially ball-shaped ends 5 that are adapted to cooperate with spring sockets 6 arranged in recesses 6? that are formed in the top face of the piano seat B, as shown in Figs. 7 and 8, the upper ends of the arms 5 projecting through slots in the webs of the U-shaped members 3 and being rigidly secured to said member by rivets 7 When the player seat is lowered fromits vertical position into its horizontal position, asshown in Fig. 1, the ball-shaped ends of the arms 5 on the player seat enter the spring socket 6 in that the player seat will not fall backwardly away from the piano seat when the piano seat is raised as shown in Figs. 3 and 6. While the devices 5 and 6 just referred to operate to lock the seats B and G together, it will, of course, be understood that the player seat C can be released easily whenever the operator desires to raise same into its vertical position, owing to the fact that the ball-shaped sockets 6 in the piano seat only exert yielding pressure on the ballshaped ends of the devices 5 on the player the brackets 2 are inclined rearwardly slightly, as shown in Fig. 10, and the player seat C is connected to said brackets in such a manner that the lower edge portion of said player seat will bear against the rear edges of the brackets 2 when the player seat is raised or arranged in an approximately vertical position. as shown in full lines in Fig. 5 and in broken lines in Fig. 10, the brackets 2 thus operating to brace the back rest of the piano seat and hold said back rest in a slightly inclined position so that there will be no'tendency for it to swing downwardly back to its horizontal position.

7 A bench of the construction above described can be used by a pianist or by a person operating a player piano because it comfor operating the piano seat and thus securely lock the seats B and C together so prises two seats, one located at the most convenient height for playing, a piano, and the other located at the most convenient'height a player piano.

The bench has a large compartment that can be used for storing sheetmusic or rolls of music such as are used in player pianos, and whenthe piano seat is in use the player seat acts as a back rest. The two seats are detachably connected .together in such a manner that it is not necessary to manually hold the player seat when the piano seat is raised to obtain access to the music compartment, and the means used for hinging the seats together is so designed that the player seat is braced securely when it is arranged in a vertical position, and is so mounted that there is no tendency for it to move longitudinally relatively to the piano seat.

In addition to the desirable features above-mentioned my improved bench presents a neat and ornamental" appearance and it is so designed that it can be kept clean easily. V

l-laving thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Le ters Patent is: V o

1. A combination player and piano bench provided with a piano seat, a player seat arranged in a higher horizontal plane than said piano seat, upwardly projecting brackets on the top face of the piano seat whose rear edges are inclined rearwardly, and means for hinging the player seat to said brackets in such a manner that the lower edge portion of said seat will bear against the rear edges of said brackets and thus be braced and supported in an inclined position by same when the player seat is raised.

2. A combination player and piano. bench provided with a music compartment, a hinged top for said compartment that forms a piano seat, a player seat arranged above saidpiano seat, upwardly projecting brackets on the top face of said piano seat set inwardly some distance from the rear edge of said seat and having inclined rear edges, transversely extending members on the under side of the player seat that embrace the upper ends of said brackets, and pintle pins passing through said members and brackets for pivotally connecting them together, said pintle pins being so arranged that the brackets will brace the player seat and hold it m an inclined posltionwhen said seat is raised.

'3. A- combination player and piano bench provided with a music compartment, a

versely arranged-'metallic members on the hinged piano seat that under side of the player seat that are substantially U-shaped in cross section, said members being slotted so as to receive the upper ends of said brackets, pintles passing through said brackets and members, rigid depending arms on the under side of the player seat that project through slots in the Webs of said Ushaped members and are connected thereto so as to support the front edge of the player seat, said arms having ball-shaped ends, and spring sockets set in recesses in the top face of said piano seat for receiving the ball-shaped ends of said arms.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my 15 signature in the presence of two Witnesses, this sixteenth day of January 1912.

WELLS L. CHURCH, GEORGE BAKEWELL.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G. 

